[See "Under Pressure" for disclaimer]
The Emerald Bracelet
By Mindy Mills
By Mindy Mills
Magna Defender walked around the woods. As he walked around, his silence was broken when he heard a violin playing and people laughing. *Who would be out in the middle of the forest?* Magna Defender asked himself. He walked in the direction of the violin playing.
As he got closer to the source, he was able to isolate the laughter into two adults and two young girls. He looked around the corner of a boulder and saw 4 familiar people: Carlos, Ruth, Rachel, and Robyn. Carlos' face looked with concern. Ruth was happily playing on Robyn's violin while the two girls were trying to dance together and laughing.
"Rachel, Robyn, stop that twirling!" Carlos warned the girls.
"Oh, Carlos, let them dance," Ruth said, still playing the merry song. "Let them dance. It's their birthday."
Carlos turned to her, saying, "To you, Ruth, everyday is their birthday." Ruth chuckled at the joke. "Ruth, make them stop or they'll grow too tired more pleasurable activities."
When they heard that, the girls obediently stopped dancing and sat down on two different stones. Almost with delight, Magna Defender watched them without being noticed.
"All right, Carlos," Ruth said, stopping the violin. She placed it next to her.
"Presents!" Rachel shouted. "What about presents?"
Ruth gasped and looked shocked. "Presents? What presents?" Rachel looked almost like she was going into tears.
"Oh, Ruth, come on now!" Carlos insisted.
Ruth laughed, cheering Rachel up. "It's just a joke, girls." She waved her hand into the air, producing a small black bag. She opened it and took out Robyn's present. "For Robyn, a tiara of pearls–that my mother herself collected–to symbolize Magical Royalty." She placed the tiara on Robyn's head, and they began to glow yellow for a moment.
"What did you just do, Mommy?" Robyn asked.
"I had cast a little spell. Now, the tiara will stay in place on your head, and only you are able to remove it. Even during battle, it won't fall off. Happy birthday!"
Robyn looked at her reflection in a nearby pond. She admired her present for a moment, then hugged her mother. "Oh, Mommy! Thank you!"
"You have only one parent?" Carlos asked.
Robyn chuckled as she turned to her father. "And, thank you, Daddy."
From the black bag, Ruth took out Rachel's present. "And, for you, Rachel: a new bracelet of emeralds. Not just any emerald bracelet! This new emerald bracelet has been in the family for four generations. It belonged to me, my mother, my mother's mother, and my mother's grandmother. And now, it belongs to you. Happy birthday."
Ruth placed the bracelet around Rachel's left wrist. As Rachel looked at it, it slipped out of her wrist and fell to the ground. "It's too big!" Rachel complained.
"You'll grow," Carlos answered in a chuckle.
"By the end of this day, girls, you shall be given your animal spirit," Ruth announced.
"Yes, Daddy told us about animal spirits before," Robyn said. "He said that you are a lioness and that he is a wolf. Does that make us half dog-half cat?"
Ruth laughed. "No, Robyn. You see, everyone has an animal spirit of their own, and when they find out what their spirit it, it is their responsibility to follow that spirit all their lives. This is especially important for you, Robyn, because you will need to follow your animal spirit in order for you to control the Magic."
"Yes, Mommy, I understand," Robyn answered.
"Does this mean that I'm going to be left out?" Rachel asked.
"No, Rachel, far from it. You are very important. Every child is a blessing; they would only become a curse if they wish to be a curse. No one can make you feel left behind but you, Rachel. You are very special."
Ruth would have continued, but Robyn suddenly lifted one finger to her mouth. "Shh! Listen." All was quiet, except for an extremely faint buzzing noise.
But Robyn's and Ruth's keen and sensitive ears spotted it. "Oh no," Ruth whispered. "Stingwingers." She got up and picked up the violin. She took Robyn by the hand, and Rachel followed Carlos.
When the Stingwingers arrived, they noticed something that the others didn't: Magna Defender, who was still watching them as they got up and departed. He didn't even notice the Stingwingers approaching him. Soon, they overtook him.
Hearing the commotion between the Stingwingers and Magna Defender, Rachel stopped running and looked back. Not knowing that Rachel stopped, the others continued their flight. Rachel saw only the Stingwingers, but heard Magna Defender's grunts below them.
"Maggie D needs my help," Rachel whispered.
By now, the others knew that Rachel was missing. She heard Ruth's voice, calling her. "Rachel? Rachel? Rachel?"
Rachel removed her bracelet, shouted out, "I'm getting my bracelet, Mommy!" and threw it in the direction of the attack. She started to run after it, but hesitated when she heard Ruth calling for her again.
"Rachel!" Ruth ran through the bushes and saw Rachel waiting. "Rachel, come back!"
"My bracelet!" Rachel shouted, continuing her pursuit.
"Wait!" Ruth shouted. But she tripped and fell. Ruth looked to see what she tripped over: a ground vine that was tangled around her ankle. There was no way for Ruth to escape simply by pulling on it. She looked back to see Rachel, about 3 yards away from the attack.
"Rachel, stop! Stop!"
But Rachel wanted to watch more of the battle and to retrieve her bracelet. The moment she grabbed it, however, a nearby Stingwinger grabbed her. She started screaming. "Mommy! Daddy! Robyn!"
"Rachel!" Carlos shouted, running continuously through the bushes, already morphed into the Black Ranger. Robyn kneeled to Ruth and started to undo the dilemma Ruth was in.
"Daddy! Daddy, help!" Rachel shouted. Carlos called for his Lunar Lance and placed it in between Rachel and her perpetrator. He shoved the Stingwinger away, but that move took both Rachel and the Lunar Lance away from him. What's more, an increased number of Stingwingers came and surpassed him.
Realizing that the attack was making no progress, the Stingwingers retreated. However, the one who held Rachel captive took her with him. The remainder of the family was detained until the last Stingwinger left.
Catching his breath, Carlos stood up again. "Rachel? They took Rachel!" He gazed up at the sky; Magna Defender stood behind him.
By this time, Robyn was able to undo the vines around her mother's ankle. When Ruth stood up, she noticed Magna Defender standing behind Carlos. "Carlos! Watch your back!"
Carlos spun around and defended himself, but Magna Defender made no move of attack. Surprisingly, instead, he stood his ground. "There is no cause for alarm, Black Ranger," he said solemnly. "I know what its like to lose a child."
"You were here all this time?" Robyn asked.
"Yes, young lady. I assume that my presence was the reason why the attack was made in the first place."
"They attacked because you were here?" Carlos asked in disbelief. "And because of you, Rachel is gone?"
"Carlos!" Ruth quickly said. "Don't!"
"Fortunately for you, you have it lucky," Magna Defender continued. "You shall have your child back in its due time."
Ruth gave a quick smile. "I'm not so sure about that."
"You're not so sure about having your child back?"
"I'm not so sure that we have it lucky. We aren't the only lucky ones."
"What are you talking about, Magic Spice? You are able to have your daughter back. But Zika…"
"Do you know what a little bit of faith can do?" Robyn interuppted.
"I gave up having faith, young lady!"
"Because you refused to do yourself a favor by having faith, we had to do the favor for you," Carlos said.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"No," Ruth said. "It is you who doesn't know what we're about." She lifted her ring to her mouth. "Jenny, this is Ruth. Do you read me?"
"Yes, Ruth, I read you. What is it?"
"Well, Maggie D is down here. Is "'he' ready?"
"Yes, Ruth; I believe "'he' is ready."
"Who's "'he'?"
But Magna Defender didn't have to wait long before his answer came. He heard the sound of teleportation behind him. He cautiously turned around, but could barely believe what he saw.
There was Jenny, walking towards him and holding Zika by the hand. When they were about ten feet in front of him, Jenny released her hand from Zika's. He looked up at Jenny, who merely made the motion to keep going. Zika turned to his father, who was watching everything in awe.
"Zika?"
"Yes, Father," he answered. "It's me."
In his excitement, Magna Defender dropped his own sword and ran to his child. He picked him up and hugged him. Zika started laughing in his happiness. "Zika. But how…"
"She brought me back," Zika answered, pointing to Jenny.
Magna Defender looked at Jenny. "I might regret saying this one day, but I thank you." After saying that, Magna Defender turned away and started walking into the woods.
Robyn looked at the ground and saw his sword. She ran to it, picked it up, and started running toward Magna Defender. "Wait! You forgot your sword!"
If Magna Defender was wearing his helmet, Robyn would have seen that he was smiling. He took the sword from Robyn's grasp, then teleported away.
"Come on, you guys," Carlos said. "We still have to find Rachel."
Rachel began shivering. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying down in a room that she was not familiar with. She looked around, but saw no one. She got up and started to walk, but her legs and wrists were tied to the nearby wall by thick ropes.
She started to struggle with the ropes, but she heard some footsteps. She quickly laid back down on the floor and partially closed her eyes. She saw Trakeena walking in the door, but Trakeena assumed that Rachel was still asleep.
"Man, I can't ever imagine that a girl sleeps for so long unless I see it," Trakeena said. She stared at the child for a while, then started kicking her! Rachel squirmed and groaned as if she had just wakened up.
"Not now, Mommy," Rachel said, acting like she was dreaming and was interuppted. In disgust, Trakeena kicked her again. This time, Rachel slowly opened her eyes, pretending to be half-asleep. "What?" She gasped, pretending that she didn't know Trakeena was in the room. She screamed and leaned against the wall.
Trakeena laughed. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Rachel held her tongue, remembering Ruth telling her that it is not a good idea to hurl insults at an enemy. Trakeena waited and waited for Rachel to speak, and there was only silence for the next 20 minutes.
Trakeena finally left, saying, "Boring." After Trakeena left, Rachel laid down again and started crying. She wanted to be back at the ship, to be with her family and her friends.
As she was crying, she heard the growling of a wolf. She looked up for a moment, and saw a light-brown colored wolf, just standing there. But the wolf made no attack, and Rachel continued crying.
The wolf growled again. "On your guard, Alli Enduroa," she said to herself. She started running as if she was chasing someone, but there was no one to chase. She growled again. "Don't make any funny moves! I'm smart, and I'm swift. I have the instincts of a wolf!" She paused for a moment. "What am I saying? I am a wolf."
The wolf's attempts of a joke had failed; Rachel continued crying. "Oh, come one, little girl. I didn't mean to scare you that much. Look, young lady; I'm your friend. Aw, come on; be happy!" She started to run in circles, as if she was chasing her tail, hoping to catch Rachel's attention and make her laugh. But Rachel still wept. "Oh, what are you crying for?"
Finally, Rachel lifted up her tearstained face to look at the wolf. "I can't get out of here, and I have to, so I could find my family."
The wolf was shocked. "You…you lost your family?" Rachel groaned in agreement. "Oh, that's terrible! You know, I lost my family, too. I mean, years ago."
"Don't cry, you'll find them again. Because I know I'll see my family again."
"No, I won't see my family again," the wolf replied. "I lost them when I crossed into this Lost Galaxy. I've been here with Scorpius for only one reason: I have no other place to go."
Rachel perked up. "You mean, when you crossed here from the other galaxy?"
"Which galaxy are you talking about?"
"Mommy says that my origin is in the Milky Way galaxy."
"Really? That's my origin, too! Do you think that maybe your mother could show me how to get back into our real galaxies?"
"Mommy and her friends are looking for ways out as we speak. But I don't know if we'll ever get back."
"Maybe, if I set you free, your friends would take me back to our own galaxy."
Rachel giggled. "Well, I know that they would be grateful."
"Gee, you're nice," the wolf said. "My name is Alli Enduroa. What's yours?"
"Rachel. Rachel Veranda."
Alli chuckled. "Listen; I like little girls!" When Rachel heard that, she began to weep bitterly. Alli recognized the problem immediately. "Oh, no! Not like that. I mean, I don't red meat at all." She laughed. "I'm a vegetarian! Oh, a little fish every now and then. But what I really like are some nice, juicy–shh–carrots." She chuckled again.
Rachel smiled, wiping away her tears. "You know, I thought all wolves were supposed to be mean!" As she finished her sentence, she made a menace-looking face.
Alli looked at her. "Mean? Ha! I am mean!" She began growling and howling, as if she was ready to bite Rachel at any second. In fear, Rachel covered her head with her arms.
But Alli hesitated. Her gnarling smile vanished into a disappointed frown. She sat down and lowered her head. "Aw, what's the use? I wouldn't hurt a fly, nor step on an ant. I can't even scare the wits out of a little girl like you."
"But you did scare me," Rachel insisted.
"I didn't mean to."
"And I suppose that other wolves would have called you a misfit because you don't have the heart to attack?"
Alli thought for a second. "Well, if I need to defend myself, I'll defend myself. And if I need to defend my friends, I'll defend them. Otherwise, you're right; I don't have the heart to attack. I am a misfit."
"All of my friends are misfits. Although you are a wolf, you would fit right in! Oh, but…"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Well, it's Spinal."
"Spinal? Who's Spinal?"
"He's this skeleton warrior back at the ship. He's cute and he's shy. He's also very scared of dogs. If he takes one look at a dog's teeth, he would go anywhere to get away from the dog's teeth." Rachel giggled. "Poor Spinal."
"And he's scared of dogs and wolves because he thinks they eat bones?"
"Yeah."
"Well, then there's no need for him to be afraid of me. I hate eating bones! I only had one bone in my entire life, and when I ate that one, I vowed never to eat another bone again. Yuck! Eating a bone is like eating the combination of glue, wood, and plastic! Disgusting!"
"What kind of things do you like?" Rachel asked, changing the subject.
"I like flowers, mostly," Alli answered. "I like bouquets of big white roses, with small pink and yellow ones."
"Me too!" Rachel said.
"I like butterflies, horses, and dolphins."
"Me too, me too!"
"You too, too?" Alli thought for a moment. "Wait a minute! What's your favorite book?"
"Hmm. "'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,' is my favorite! Of course, the other "'Chronicles of Narnia' books are great!"
"Did you say "'The Chronicles of Narnia?' I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" She started twirling around in happiness. "I can see that we have a lot in common. Tell me; at this very moment, what do you crave more than anything."
"At this moment, I crave my freedom from Scorpius. I crave my family and friends."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"Me too." Slowly, Alli walked to the ropes that held Rachel back. Baring her claws and teeth, she started to tear the ropes off. One by one, the ropes broke and Rachel was free. Then, she crouched in a low position. "We'll travel fast if you ride on my back," she whispered.
Rachel smiled as climbed upon the wolf's furry back. To her surprise, it was a fairly comfortable seat. Her feet dangled off the sides, but they didn't touch the floors. As Alli walked along, Rachel could feel her powerful muscles at work. Soon, the walk sped up into a hustle. Even the walls became a blur as Alli ran faster and faster.
Despite the wolf's speed, Scorpius was able to catch a glimpse of her when she ran past the door to the throne room. A moment later, Rachel crouched low as Alli ran under Ecliptor's legs. Ecliptor took only a moment to recognize Rachel, then ran into the throne room. "Scorpius, Bubble Spice is escaping."
"Send your Quantrons and the Stingwingers after her!" Scorpius ordered. "Bubble Spice is riding on one of my followers! Correction: EX-followers!"
Ecliptor gave a bow. "I'll see to it personally!"
"I think they know we're getting out of here," Rachel said. "Keep running; I'm going to try something." She slowly straightened herself up and pressed on her ring. The ring glowed for a second, then teleported both Rachel and Alli out of the Scorpion Stinger.
Alli was so surprised by the new surroundings that she slowed down. Rachel looked around and said, "This looks like the place I was when Mommy gave me my birthday present: this emerald bracelet." Alli stopped and looked over her shoulder, barely able to look at the beautiful piece of green and gold.
"It looks stunning," she said. Then, the sound of Quantrons interrupted them. In fear and protection, Alli ran from the sound as fast as she could. Stingwingers were flying towards them from above, and Rachel had to punch some of them in order to save her friend.
As they ran, they didn't notice the Rangers and several of the Spices on the side. They knew of the attack made by the Quantrons and Stingwingers, so they went out to find Rachel. But they found themselves being cut off by the attackers. Despite Rachel and Alli not noticing the others, they partook in the battle as well.
Rachel dismounted and climbed part way up a tree trunk. When a Quantron came close, Rachel fell and landed on the Quantron's shoulders. The Quantron started running and shaking as if Rachel was on a wild horse. When they were approaching the tree again, Rachel took hold of the closest branch, then forced the Quantron right into the tree.
Alli dashed at a Stingwinger that sliced at her with its stinger. Following her wolf instincts, she brutally bit and clawed at him. She made several wounds all over its body, until she finally got the fight out of him. She took one moment of her first victory, then said, "Yuck! I've got blood on my tongue. Disgusting!"
At the other side of the battle, Robyn kicked her Stingwinger squarely on the chest. It tried to punch Robyn's gut, but she blocked and swept her leg around his. Doing so caused him to trip and fall. Then, Robyn went to the ground and crushed it with her back. She turned to one side and saw another one approaching. She took him by the arms, then threw him to her first opponent, who was only able to stand up before he was knocked back down.
Carlos leaped on top of the Quantron that tackled him first. He leaned backwards, causing both of them to fall down. Carlos shot his legs forward, pushing the Quantron to a nearby tree. Noticing two more coming, Carlos did an impressive crescent kick. Grabbing both of their heads, Carlos pushed them together. The two Quantrons wearily fell at Carlos' feet.
Cassie rolled under a Quantron's legs, then stood up behind him. She gave a powerful chop at his neck, then kicked him away. She didn't notice a Stingwinger approaching, and he grabbed her from behind and began to choke her. Maya looked in Cassie's direction and ran to them. She started choking the Stingwinger, then tore him off of Cassie.
Kai twirled his arms, allowing the to get twisted up with the Stingwinger's. While keeping in eye-contact with him, Kai lifted his leg and pushed the Stingwinger away using his knee. Jenny saw Kai's Stingwinger coming and kicked at his back. Then, she assisted Kai in getting some Quantrons isolated.
Spinal blocked his Stingwinger's attempt to use its stinger. Taking the block, Spinal swiped his sword at the Stingwinger, making a wound on his shoulder. Angered, the Stingwinger took Spinal by the "arm" and pulled at him, while another Stingwinger nearby did the same. Helpless, the only thing Spinal could do was drop his sword and his shield.
Fortunately, Fulgore glanced at one side and saw Spinal's condition. He tapped on the Stingwinger's wounded shoulder. The Stingwinger turned to Fulgore as he said, "Excuse me." Then, he punched at the Stingwinger and kicked the other one away. "No one messes with my little buddy but me."
Ashley and Damon crashed into each other as their attackers took the advantage. Ashley looked behind her and saw the approaching Quantron. She pressed her hands on Damon's shoulders and pushed herself over him. She twirled and kicked the Quantron, as Damon got up and finished off Ashley's Stingwinger.
Pico rudely crashed right into his Quantron. He picked him up and carried him on his back. He started spinning around, making the Quantron dizzy. Then, he threw him off. Another Quantron came and tried to slash at Pico's neck with his weapon. Sensing danger, Pico quickly placed his head right into his shell right before the weapon came hurling. Then, Pico punched at the Quantron. Taking a quick moment, Pico whispered, "Man, I love being a turtle!"
A Stingwinger took T. J. by the heel and pulled him down. Analyzing the situation for a quick moment, T. J. calmly said, "Hello." Then, taking the other foot, he kicked the Quantron fiercely on the chest, saying, "Good-bye." He instantly got back up and punched at a Stingwinger that was worn out by Zhane's slashing by his Super Silverizer with no problem at all.
Leo threw a Stingwinger over his shoulder, then punched at a Quantron sneaking behind him. The Quantron took a moment, then punched at Leo roughly. In pain, Leo took his Quasar saber and slashed at the Quantron several times. After that, Leo threw his legs out at the Quantron. Then, he kicked him away.
Andros backed away from his Stingwinger, and tripped over a tree root. The Stingwinger quickly approached him and began to crush Andros with his weight. Kendrix came and threw the Stingwinger away from Andros. A Quantron approached Kendrix speedily. All Kendrix did was wrap one arm around the Quantron's, then threw him over her shoulder. Then, she helped Andros to his feet.
Ruth kicked at her own Stingwinger. She tried to make a punch, but the Stingwinger blocked and rudely shoved her to a tree. With her back leaning against the trunk, and both arms and legs useless for the moment, Ruth could do nothing except bear the pain of the Stingwinger crushing her. She quickly suffocated. She was about to pass out when a small blur shot from her left and knocked the Stingwinger away.
Relieved yet still in pain, Ruth collapsed to the ground. She took several deep breaths, then looked up to see who had saved her. There, she saw Magna Defender with Zika right behind him. She looked at the Stingwinger that had attacked her, and saw Zika's weapon in the Stingwinger's chest. She turned to Zika and weakly said, "Good shot, Zika."
Magna Defender offered his hand. For a moment, Ruth was stunned. Could this be the same Magna Defender–who was attacking and fighting them off for the past several days simply because he thought they were in his way? Then, realizing that having Zika back might have softened his heart, Ruth gratefully accepted his help and grabbed onto his hand. He gently pulled her off the ground.
Then, Magna Defender resumed in his fighting, while Zika stayed with Ruth and retrieved his weapon. Everyone was quite surprised by the way Magna Defender was fighting. Before, he was the attacker to the Power Rangers and the Spice Club. Now, he's truly a defender.
He took his Magna Blaster and fired at several Stingwingers. Some of his shots missed the targets, and instead struck at the trees. The result was a fire that was quickly spreading. In fear, the Stingwingers departed, leaving only the Quantrons left to fight.
Due to the fire and the attack, Alli and Rachel accidentally became separated. As Rachel was finishing off the last of the Stingwingers, and burning branch fell from a tree. A non-flaming side struck Rachel on the head. As she fell to the ground and fainted, her emerald bracelet had slipped off her wrist and flew to a tree several feet away from Ruth.
Alli sped around a Quantron, them bit him at the leg, knowing that it has no taste. She pulled the Quantron to the nearby flames and threw him in it. The Quantron yelped and ran from the fires. Alli chuckled, then heard someone shriek in terror.
Spinal was overtaken by several Quantrons and he quickly went down. While the others were trying to get away from the flames, Spinal was left helpless until he heard a loud snarl. Spinal could tell that something knocked some of the Quantrons off by feeling the weight on him being lifted. He stood up and threw away his Quantrons. He looked at one side and saw Alli growling at the last of the Quantrons.
"Come on, everyone!" Ruth shouted. "We've got to get out of here!" She started running through the burning scene, with Carlos and Robyn right behind her. One by one, the others trusted Ruth and followed her, not knowing whether or not this journey was helping them.
Alli went back to the direction she came from. She started looking for Rachel, but was unable to find her. She started calling for her. "Reeshell!" she called, obviously pronouncing the name incorrectly. "Reeshell Verundare! Where are you?" She looked at one side and saw the emerald bracelet that slipped off of Rachel's wrist. Recognizing it, she picked it up with her teeth and started calling for her again. "Reeshell!"
Safe from the fires, the heroes stopped running. As Alli called for Rachel, Robyn heard her. "Mommy, Daddy, listen!"
A moment later, Alli Enduroa's voice was heard again. "Reeshell Verundare!"
Carlos scoffed softly. "What? So someone is calling for a Reeshell Verundare."
But Robyn insisted. "There are people who have different accents. Maybe this person is pronouncing "'Rachel' as "'Reeshell.' Come on! I've got to know!"
"Wait! Robyn!" Ruth called. But Robyn had already ran back in the direction of the fires. Ruth ran after her, followed by Carlos, Jenny, Zika, and Magna Defender.
"Reeshell!" Alli shouted. She placed the bracelet on an old stump and looked around.
Robyn caught up with her. "Wait!"
Panting, Carlos stopped Alli. "Stop! You are calling for a "'Reeshell Verundare,' right?" The wolf nodded. " Here, tell my daughter that her name is "'Reeshell Verundare,' and not "'Rachel Veranda.' Please!"
"Her name is Reeshell Verundare–"
Carlos turned to Robyn. "You see, Robyn?"
Then, Alli finished her sentence. "–but she pronounces it the second way you said it."
"What?" Carlos asked.
"Daddy…" Robyn said.
But Carlos interrupted her. "No, no, no, sweetheart. There could many, many Rachel Verandas in this universe. Maybe thousands! It could still be just another Rachel Veranda."
While Carlos and Alli were talking, Ruth glanced to one side and saw the old stump where the bracelet was. She quietly gasped and carefully examined it. When Carlos expressed his doubt about Alli's Reeshell being their Rachel, Ruth said, "No, Carlos."
In confusion, Carlos turned to her. "What do you mean, Ruth?"
Ruth raised up the bracelet for all to see. "Look."
As the fires raged on, the heat had awakened Rachel from her brief blackout. Although unaware of the fires that had been started, Rachel had noticed that it was terribly bright where she was. A headache from the branch that struck her before was raging, and the heat from the fires made it no better. She became aware of the fires when sparks flew from burning bushes.
Rachel ran where there was a pathway of burnt ashes. She heard the sound of thunder and knew that a storm was coming. Surely, rain began to pour down. The fires dimmed and were no longer a danger.
Rachel found an abandoned den and made it her shelter for the night. The den was safe, warm, and dry; so it made a suitable refuge from the rain. The sound of the rain tapping against the trees, leaves, and grass had lulled her to sleep.
The next morning was cold and soft. The moisture and chilly effect of the rain had stopped the heat of the raging fires. Rachel shivered as the colors of dawn slowly came.
Her headache was still there, so she was unsure of what had awakened her; the sound of her throbbing headache, the sound of someone calling her name, or the sound of a violin playing.
In fact, there was a violin playing. Since Ruth had found Rachel's bracelet, everyone had been working hard to look for her, but with failure. This morning, the Galactabeasts and the Torro Zord had their riders and had included a variety of other riding, too. On the Wildcat Galactabeast, Kendrix had included Carlos, Ruth, and Robyn. Robyn had her violin with her, but stopped playing for a moment.
"Rachel!" Carlos called. "Rachel? Rachel!"
"Reeshell?" Alli called from the Wolf Galactabeast. "Hey, Reeshell Verundare!"
"For the last time," Hanim said from the Lion Galactabeast. "Her name is Rachel Veranda, not Reeshell Verundare!"
"Leave her alone," Arbin whispered in Hanim's ear. "Like everybody, she has a specific accent."
"I never dreamed that this morning I would be riding on a Taurus," Jenny said from the Torro Zord.
Magna Defender turned to her in confusion. "A Taurus?"
"A bull!"
"I knew that! I knew that!"
"And I never dreamed that I would ever be riding right beside a wolf," Spinal said.
Alli laughed. "Don't worry, Spinal. I hate bones. They don't taste very good."
Ruth chuckled. Then, she noticed Robyn not playing. "Robyn, keep playing. Keep playing. We'll find her."
Rachel climbed out of the den and wearily walked around. She began sobbing, beginning to think that she'll never see her family again. She didn't notice the violin playing her favorite song nor the group of searchers passing by her about a mile away.
As the headache started to go away in a few seconds, she began to become aware of the violin playing. "A violin?" she whispered. "Playing my song? That means that it's…Robyn. And Daddy and Mommy must be with her."
"Rachel?" Ruth called.
"Mommy! Where are you? Mommy?" She started looking around for Ruth.
Ruth barely heard the call, but her keen ears did not allow her to ignore it. "Rachel?" she whispered. Then, she stopped everyone. "Wait! Stop!" Robyn stopped playing. All the Galactabeasts and the Torro Zord stopped. Ruth slid down the Wildcat Galactabeast and ran back in the direction they came from. "Rachel?"
"I'm coming, Mommy!" Rachel shouted, as she ran in the direction of Ruth's voice.
Ruth barely passed her when she saw her. "Rachel!"
"Mommy!" They embraced. They were so joyous because they haven't seen her since the morning of Rachel's birthday.
Ruth laughed. "My little Rachel! You survived the Scorpion Stinger, a battle, a fire, and the wild; all on your own! You surely have the spirit of the Raccoon."
"Ruth?" Carlos' voice called from the distance.
"Carlos, look!" Ruth yelled, raising Rachel up in the air.
"Daddy!" Rachel shouted as he came into view. They all began laughing as everyone, one by one, surrounded the happy family.
Jenny was so happy to see the family together again that she hugged the person closest to her. "Yeah, way to go!" She took only a moment in her joy, then realized who she was hugging. She was almost repulsed to find that she was hugging Magna Defender.
Sensing her worry, Magna Defender briefly chuckled, assuring Jenny that it was all right for her to hug him. And Jenny didn't mind hugging him because she was so happy about her friends to think about it. "What in the world has come over me? I am hugging Magna Defender!"
Alli licked at Rachel, then at the rest of the family. "I've never been so happy in my life! I have friends, lots and lots of friends!"
"Oh, Arbin, doesn't this look grand?" Hanim shouted. "Isn't this a Kodak moment?"
Strangely, Arbin had a sour face on. "Hey, I don't hear anybody thanking me?"
Hanim laughed and kissed him. Taken by surprise and love, Arbin simply groaned before they fell to the ground.
Robyn hugged Rachel the tightest. "Rachel! I knew that it was you! I knew it!"
Ruth looked at Robyn and whispered, "And because you knew, Robyn, you surely have the spirit of the Tiger. You know what is going on when you have no information to prove it. I'm proud of you." Then, Ruth kissed Rachel on the cheek. "My Rachel. Oh, I nearly forgot!"
She removed something from her pocket. The dawning light made the object sparkle and everyone recognized it. "Here, Rachel, is your bracelet!" She placed it around Rachel's wrist. It started to slide down the wrist, but this time, the bracelet did not even get over the palm.
"Your bracelet, Rachel," Carlos whispered. "It fits!"
"My little girl," Ruth said.
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